Address: 3255 Kirchoff Rd., Rolling Meadows.
Size: Two bedrooms (C floor plan), 1,083 square feet.
Rent: $780.
Security deposit: $200.
Floors: Three.
Age of building: Opened last September.
Type of building: Stone and brick courtyard building with elevator.
Utilities: Not included in rent.
Parking: Free outdoor lot. Limited garage spaces available for $50 a month.
Special features: Hospitality room, exercise room, outdoor pool and sun deck. Stackable washer-dryers in apartments.
A new apartment building, much like a new car, has an ”untouchable”
look about it. There are no thumbprints on doorknobs and no noseprints on windows.
It`s almost sterile, but everything shines.
The Kirchoff Meadows Apartments, which opened in September, not only are new, but they contain a new concept in living as well: what developers call
”splits,” two-bedroom apartments with the bedrooms at opposite sides of the combination living room/dining area.
Such a setup gives couples, roommates or parent-child teams real privacy from each other. The sounds of snoring, late-night television or the bass of a new rap artist`s song on the stereo are no longer as much of a problem.
The two bedrooms in Kirchoff`s Unit C plan (one of several floor plans available) measure an adequate 10 by 15 1/2 feet and 11 1/2 by 15 1/2 feet. But while the ”split” bedroom plan offers privacy for two people sharing the unit, not everyone will be happy with the bathroom arrangement.
More Top Picks Best Golf Push Carts For Hilly Courses
Both bathrooms are equal in looks, featuring faux marble vanities, ceramic-tile walls, sliding glass shower doors and no-wax floors. But they are unequal in privacy.
Keep it clean
One bathroom adjoins the master bedroom. The other bathroom (presumably to be used by the occupant of the second bedroom) is near the apartment`s entrance hall and hallway closet. This bathroom is in plain view upon entering the unit, cutting down the privacy the second occupant will have and putting more pressure on him or her to keep it tidy.
Also off the entry hall is a galley-style kitchen with a stove, microwave, dishwasher and stainless-steel double-bowl sink on one side and a refrigerator and counter on the other side. It offers adequate counter space for small appliances such as a blender, coffeemaker and a toaster.
The utility closet in the kitchen holds a welcome surprise for those who dread packing laundry baskets and searching for quarters before going to a laundramat: a stackable washer-dryer.
But two cooks in any kitchen can be one too many, and this kitchen drives that point home. Because the kitchen is relatively cramped, you`ll have to do your eating in the dining portion of the living/dining area, which lies just outside the kitchen. But it, too, is small. Even a small table would be a tight squeeze in this space.
The living room, measuring 15 feet, 10 inches by 13 feet, 4 inches, is large enough for a sofa, cocktail table and an entertainment system. It`s a perfect room for those who enjoy natural light, because large floor-to-ceiling thermopane-windows dominate the room.
The apartment has its own central air-conditioning and gas forced-air furnace (tenants pay their own utilities), beige wall-to-wall carpeting and mini-blinds.
The unit also has a sprinkler system and smoke detectors. Security features also include an intercom system and a computerized fire protection system.
The 124-apartment building, which also has one-bedroom units and other two-bedroom plans that are not ”splits,” is 50 percent occupied-primarily by senior citizens and young professionals.
For two or more people looking for an apartment that will provide them some moments of privacy from each other, Kirchoff Meadows is a good choice for the money, particularly now.
If a lease is signed in the next two months, the security deposit is only $200 and the rent, $780 a month. Tenants can have pets, but they`ll have to pay a $600 security deposit and an additional $10 a month in rent for the privilege.
Kirchoff Meadows is at the east boundary of Salk Park and is close to shopping, the library, a post office and a senior center. The apartments are a half-mile from Illinois Highway 53 and a Metra train station.